Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 363 Don't Change Tracks Easily
Negotiations on compensation have stalled, but Li Qiutang can't just give up.

Don't just give up at the first sign of a conflict; that's not how things are done.

This situation also illustrates that no matter how big the project or how big the company, the relationship between the director and the production company is never very harmonious.

Li Qiutang has all sorts of strange problems when making films for his own company, let alone films for other companies.

Even renowned directors like James Cameron put 20th Century Fox through a lot with "Avatar."

Li Qiutang has a conflict with Wanda Group and also with producer Chen Guofu. Chen Guofu has been trying to secure a lead role for a Taiwanese actor, but Li Qiutang has consistently disagreed.

Chan Kwok-fu is the producer, and his Kung Fu Pictures is also one of the production companies of "Mojin: The Lost Legend". He certainly has the right to use his favorite actors.

However, Li Qiutang firmly held the power of casting. Chen Guofu could choose, and his actors could audition, but if Li Qiutang didn't approve the actors, even Ye Ning's presence wouldn't make a difference.

At the same time, Huayi and Guangxian, two production companies with artist management businesses, would not easily hand over the casting rights to Li Qiutang.

However, Huayi Brothers no longer had any actors who could play the role of the three tomb raiders, so Huayi Brothers set its sights on Ding Sitian. This role was perfect for promoting a newcomer, and Huayi Brothers happened to have a rising star under its wing—Yang Ying.

The talent agency for Guangming Entertainment was even worse, but Guangming Entertainment had connections, so Li Xiaoping brought Sun Li over and made an outrageous demand, hoping she would play Shirley Yang!
After Deng Chao left Huayi, he joined Guangxian. It's only natural that Guangxian would promote Sun Li, especially since Sun Li has a good relationship with Qiutian. Qiutian has already cast Sun Li in its major drama "The Legend of Mi Yue," which is scheduled to start filming next year.

But Sun Li is a typical Qingyi (female role in Peking Opera), while Shirley Yang is a Daomadan (female warrior role in Peking Opera). Li Qiutang felt that Sun Li was not suitable at all.

However, Li Qiutang still gave Sun Li an audition opportunity. Sun Li was definitely fine with dramatic scenes, but Shirley Yang's audition required the actress to complete a physical fitness test for about 40 minutes while following the action director.

Sun Li encountered significant problems at this stage; her physical fitness and movements were completely unable to meet the crew's requirements.

Guangxian said he could practice now even if he couldn't. However, Guangxian overlooked one issue: Sun Li's schedule.

"The Legend of Mi Yue" has been in preparation for nearly two years and is scheduled to start filming in the middle of next year. This coincides with the expected start date of "Mojin: The Lost Legend". Li Qiutang absolutely cannot accept the lead actress filming two projects at the same time, so he had no choice but to ruthlessly eliminate Sun Li.

Sun Li knew it would be difficult for her to enter the film industry, and she couldn't possibly give up the sure-fire hit "The Legend of Mi Yue".

It's a bit of a pity, but the loss isn't too great.

Yang Ying is in trouble. Huayi only wants a decorative supporting role like this, and it would be difficult for the production team to refuse her, both morally and logically.

The key point is that Chen Guofu has a past relationship with Huayi, and he is more supportive of Yang Ying playing Ding Sitian.

Li Qiutang still didn't make a decision, only asking the casting team to try out a few more people.

"Where's the fat guy I want!" Li Qiutang now most wants Wang Kaixuan.

The casting team gave Li Qiutang several options: Jiang Wu, Chen Minghao, and Jiang Chao.

The casting director said, "We talked to twenty-seven fat men, and these three are the best."

Of the three candidates, only Jiang Chao can be considered fat; the other two are at most muscular, but they are still usable.

"How did the physical fitness test go for the three of them?"

"Wang Kaixuan's action scenes are average, but the other three are all alright."

"Then arrange a time for the three of them to come to Liangxi so I can meet them."

Hu Ge arrived in Liangxi to see Li Qiutang before the three fat men.

He wasn't there to audition for "Mojin: The Lost Legend," but just to see Li Qiutang and discuss other matters. Hu Ge's acting career had a phenomenal start, but then declined, with the last two years being a low point in his career.

Hu Ge is a very conflicted person. He is ambitious in his career but lacks a plan, or rather, Tang Ren Company doesn't have the resources to support him. At this point in Hu Ge's development, Tang Ren no longer has any control over him and can no longer provide better resources to help him go further.

He hoped to leverage external resources, so he brought "Nirvana in Fire" to Li Qiutang for guidance. This drama was a joint production of Autumn Century, Shandong Film & Television, and Daylight Entertainment.

He saw Huang Xiaoming emerge from his career slump with Li Qiutang's help and his acting skills were recognized. He hoped to get Li Qiutang's help through the connection of "Nirvana in Fire"—not that he wanted Li Qiutang's resources, he didn't dream of that, he just wanted to find someone knowledgeable to talk to about his work.

Outsiders often have a clearer perspective and can often see things more clearly.

The weather was nice in Liangxi today, so the two of them went for a walk. Li Qiutang acted as their tour guide, leading him around the Liangxi Digital Film Industrial Park.

It is difficult to talk to outsiders about one's troubles and difficulties, but Hugo had to consider whether this was a hard-won and precious opportunity.

Hu Ge told Li Qiutang about his achievements over the past two years. For example, he originally did not want to act in "Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky", but he had no choice. The company wanted to promote new talents and control risks, so he had to come out to protect the new talents. He played a villain that he thought was interesting, but the company marketed him as the male lead.

He wanted to switch to modern dramas, but all of his projects flopped.

I wanted to transition to the big screen, but as soon as the director and producer saw me, they said that the scar on the corner of my eye would be magnified on the big screen, and the audience would lose interest in the film.

Li Qiutang listened quietly.

Hu Ge said he didn't want to be a period drama actor, "and for a while I even hated period dramas."

He asked Li Qiutang for her opinion: "Should I put this aside for a while and play some more profound and relatable roles?"

This is a transition issue that all idol actors face; Huang Xiaoming faced it back then, as did Liu Yifei.

"No one can stay young and beautiful forever."

Hu Ge is now very much like Xiao Ming in 08: fragile, deeply self-doubting, doubting his job, his abilities, and even his future.

Hu Ge's thinking is understandable, but Li Qiutang said, "Don't rush to challenge a different character when you've just established yourself in a role. You might as well do your best in the area you're good at."

Transformation is a very painful thing, and Li Qiutang would advise all actors seeking transformation to be extremely cautious.

Li Qiutang works in commercial films, so his way of thinking is more market-oriented: "Since the audience likes to see you act in period dramas, why not act in them?"

Even when planning his wife's career transition, he required Liu Yifei to first play decorative roles and supporting female leads, and not to easily try roles that were too far removed from her own personality.

"You think period dramas are boring, but actually they are not easy to act in at all. After all, they are too far removed from our lives, and it is difficult to grasp the characters."

"You want to change careers, but have you thought about what you'll do if you leave your familiar field and nobody pays attention to you?" Many people can't cut their losses to survive.

“Zhang Ziyi has played stubborn and ruthless women since her debut. She still plays such a woman in ‘The Grandmaster.’ Look at her two comedies where she transitioned to acting. Did she act well?”

"Zhou Xun has played roles of selfless love for twenty years, and in her latest role as Jiu'er in 'Red Sorghum,' she still plays the same kind of character, but who dares to say she didn't act well?"

Hu Ge was speechless.

Li Qiutang continued, "If I were you, I would stick to playing the role of a young male lead in period dramas, until audiences think of me when they see period dramas, and directors want to cast me first when they start a period drama. Only when I reach that point will I think about transitioning to other roles. An actor's career is long. You're only in your early 30s. Male actors don't truly mature until they're 40. There's no rush."

"I'm just saying, you can think about whether it's right or wrong yourself. Come on, I'll show you our 3D effects."

(End of this chapter)